It was a bright sunny day, and the sky was that beautiful shade of blue.  Birds were singing, squirrels chattered away on our bird feeders and the 12 hours of sunlight proved this was the spring equinox.  But the signs of spring didn’t reach any further.

In fact, March has been a far better winter than the months that preceded it.  With 12″ of snowfall in the last week, ski conditions on the local trails are the best I’ve ever seen.  It’s not often you can have winter snow for spring skiing.  So I’m plying the trails every chance I get.  My daughter says I am the only one happy about the lingering winter when I gush about the great skiing.

Maybe she’s not alone in her sentiments.  I suspect the mailman is not so thrilled about the lack of spring.  It must be a challenge to deliver to mailboxes that threaten to disappear beneath the mountainous snowbanks.

The neighborhood children may be similarly disappointed.  Last fall the old playground equipment in the nearby park was dismantled and removed with the promise of newer, better swings, slides and climbers.  The surface has been prepared, but who can find it under the snow?  It appears the playground is inevitably delayed.

“The Deeps” on Amity Creek has a long way to go before it resumes its attraction for area teenagers and thrill seekers anxious to jump into the pool below the waterfall.  A bit of melting is in order before we will even see flowing water again.  For now, it is picturesque in its own way, beneath the layers of snow.

But there is one sign of spring that did not disappoint today.  I was lucky enough to catch sight of the first laker to leave the port of Duluth, marking the beginning of the 2013 shipping season.  Seeing Mesabi Miner out on Lake Superior was undeniably stirring.  And if ships are sailing again, truly spring can’t be far behind.